IAN JAUCIAN

Viral Automata

Ian Carlo Jaucian’s continuing interest on applying science and robotics in his artistic process paved the way to Viral Automata – an interactive exhibition that features robotic objects that behave and locomote via variations of computer viruses. The showcase of light and peculiar movements by these objects will be displayed in such a way that the audience can visualize how a life-form reacts with mutually chaotic entities.

Although the robots have their own way of reacting to other robots and their environment – resembling life-experience when they deal with the transmitted virus in their anatomy – robot functionality is still limited by the parameters of their hardware, the complexity of code, and their environment – just as humans have the illusion of free will. The exhibition thus highlights the ironic relevance of viruses in our life. The robots' source of life is the virus code, suggesting a conceptual example of a “perfect” man-made virus. This robotic set up demonstrates the pragmatic role of chaos. Hence, Jaucian's objects are rather a physicalization of the worst-case scenario; an artistic examination and inquiry into and between the aspects of the open-source, information politics, technology, and aesthetics. Jaucian's work very much represents a generation that knows no more frontiers. The non-exclusiveness of knowledge, this “everything goes” or “you can be the next” attitude that conditions it, reflects in his conceptual approaches.